U.S. unveils plan to reduce violent crime with a focus on gun violence
DORAL, FL – Gun violence is at the center of Biden administration as well as violent crime amid a summer that is looking pretty rocky already as deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco confirmed on Tuesday when she said there’s been a double-digit increases in murder and violent crime nationwide.
To tackle this problem, on Wednesday Biden gave a speech announcing a series of executive orders in addition to stating he will renew his calls for Congress to pass gun legislation.
Also, the White House planned to convene a meeting Wednesday with Attorney General Merrick Garland; the Democratic mayors of Baltimore and Miami-Dade County and the Republican mayor of Rapid City, South Dakota; the Democratic attorney general of New Jersey; the police chief in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and community activists, reported the AP.
“Yes, there need to be reforms of police systems across the country. The president is a firm believer in that,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. “But there are also steps he can take as president of the United States to help address and hopefully reduce that crime. A big part of that, in his view, is putting in place gun safety measures … using the bully pulpit but also using levers at his disposal as president.”
It was also confirmed there is new federal funding from the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package aimed at providing municipal governments with more police force on the street.
According to the AP, although Biden is strong in his intention to tackle gun violence and the House already passed two bills requiring background checks on all firearms sales and transfers and allowing an expanded 10-day review for gun purchases, that legislation has opponents in the Senate.
Meanwhile, deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said the Justice Department would “launch strike forces” in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., with the purpose of decreasing violent crime by tackling illegal gun trafficking.
The report says crime as well as public mass shootings started to rise since last summer due to several factors including historic unemployment, fear around the coronavirus and mass anxiety over the quarantines.
Additionally, people are more interested in buying guns. The number of people stopped from buying guns through the U.S. background check system reached an unprecedented all-time high of more than 300,000 last year amid a surge of firearm sales.
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